NFBC Online Championship Draft

My NFBC Online Championship draft was held April 3, Friday night. Just like the NFBC Main Event, I had pick 7, and again took Ryan Braun. Unlike the Main Event, this is a 12 team league, not a 15 team.

Below are my picks:

R1- Ryan Braun, OF, Brewers. A few bumps and bruises this spring but don’t think its anything big. I sure hope I am right, having him in both leagues.

R2- BJ Upton, OF, Rays. Will miss a handful of games at the start but looks fully recovered from off season shoulder surgery.

R3- Johan Santana, SP, Mets. Was planning to wait a few more rounds to draft an ace, but Johan with the 31^st overall pick seemed a no brainer. Tim Lincecum and CC Sabathia were already off the board at this point.

R4- Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Padres. He continues to put up impressive numbers hitting in a pitchers park and a weak lineup.

R5- Brian McCann, C, Braves. The best catcher in baseball as far as I am concerned.

R6- Dan Uggla, 2B, Marlins. A second baseman with 30 HR & 90 RBI is hard to come by.

R7- Mariano Rivera, RP, Yankees. He shows no signs of slowing down. The best ever at his position.

R8- Scott Kazmir, SP, Rays. With him and Johan, plenty of strikeouts should come. He seem healthy this spring.

R9- Adam Dunn, OF, Nationals. Picking up 40 HR in round 9 seemed good to me.

R10- Chone Figgins, 3B, Angels. Along with Upton, he gives me some speed to go along with all the power I had at this point.

R11- Kerry Wood, RP, Indians. A nice combo with Rivera. You always wonder about his health.

R12- Joe Mauer, C, Twins. Will miss some time at the start, but when he comes back I will have two of the top catchers.

R13- Aaron Harang, SP, Reds. If he can bounce back from a bad 2008 my team should have plenty of strikeouts.

R14- Brad Hawpe, OF, Rockies. Started hitting lefties last season. With Matt Holliday gone, he becomes the big RBI man in Colorado.

R15- David Price, SP, Rays. Starting the season in the minors but should be back up soon. He showed what he can do at the end of last season and in the post season.

R16- Matt Lindstrom, RP, Marlins. With many of the closers already gone I want to make sure I had three.

R17- Chris Young, SP, Padres. Suffered a bad broken nose injury on a line drive hit back at him on the mound last season. He is fully healed now and his arm has always been good.

R18- Denard Span, OF, Twins. Looked real god last season. He can steal 30 bags and have a nice BA.

R19- Ryan Theriot, SS, Cubs. Another 30 stolen bases possible here, and the best short stop left on the board.

R20- John Maine, SP Mets. Could be a nice sleeper. Coming off minor shoulder surgery, he seems healthy and can add even more strikeouts to my team.

R21- Jeremy Hermida, OF, Marlins. He seems to be on almost all of my teams because I see very good upside from him this late in a draft.

R22- Brad Penny, SP, Redsox. Looking for a very nice year from the Redsox number five starter.

R23- Manny Burris, MI, Giants. Won the starting job in San Francisco this spring and can steal plenty of bases.

R24- Mike Lowell, CI, Redsox. The hip looks fine and he should drive in 90 runs in the Boston lineup.

R25- Miguel Olivo, C, Royals. Has some pop in the bat and will hold down my number two catcher spot until Mauer comes back.

R26- Manny Corpas, RP, Rockies. Number two behind Hudson Street in Colorado, but for how long?

R27- Ian Stewart, 3B, Rockies. Will start the season as a super utility man in Colorado and can step in at many positions should someone get hurt.

R28- Koji Uehara, SP, Orioles. Coming over from Japan. He seems to have real good control and can have some value this season.

R29- Colby Rasmus, OF, Cardinals. Been hearing about him for a few years now. Finally getting his chance to play in the big leagues.

R30 Mark Ellis, 2B, A’s. A little bit of pop, a little bit of speed. A nice Mi fill in if needed.

Here is what the team looks like:

C Brian McCann R5

C Joe Mauer R12

C Miguel Olivo R25

1B Adrian Gonzalez R4

3B Chone Figgins R10

3B Mike Lowell R24

3B Ian Stewart R27

2B Dan Uggla R6

SS Ryan Theriot R19

2B/SS Emmanuel Burriss R23

2B Mark Ellis R30

OF Ryan Braun R1

OF BJ Upton R2

OF Adam Dunn R5

OF Brad Hawpe R14

OF Denard Span R18

OF Jeremy Hermida R21

OF Colby Rasmus R29

SP Johan Santana R3

SP Scott Kazmir R8

SP Aaron Harang R13

SP David Price R15

SP Chris Young R 17

SP John Maine R20

SP Prad Penny R22

SP Koji Uehara R28

RP Mariano Rivera R7

RP Kerry Wood R11

RP Matt Linstrom R16

RP Manny Corpas R26

Any Thoughts?

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